Fish lure



Dec. 19, 1950 c, TERHORST 2,534,482

FISH LURE Filed June 3, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Dec. 19, 1950 UN l 'lllll) PATENT OFFICE 2,534,482 FISH LURE G"; or'geo. Terhorst, Pittsburgh; Pa. Apjiiic'atibn Julie-s, 1948, SerialNo. 30,891 tonnes. (c1. 43 42.02)

This invention relatesQto I fishi lures. and Tmore particularly to an improvement in an artificial bait designed toimitate alive frog.

An object of the invention is; to provide a bait of this kind which will function witha minimum ofmechanical noise, which is stur dy and de pendable, and which is simple" and relativel inexpensive to manufacture and Lassemble.

Thisand other objects of the invention, as well as its various other features andadvantages, will be apparent when the renewin detailed description isre'adinlconjunction with the accompanymg: drawing of which Figurel is-a top plan view of a recommended embodiment'of the invention; Figure 2 a side elevation of the same embodiment with a portion of one side of the lure cut away to disclose the mounting and functioning of the various elements of the assembly, and Figure 3 a view similar to Figure 1, but showing a part of the top of the frog cut away and the rear legs in full and dotted lines at the alternate extreme ends of their path of movement.

Referring in detail to these drawings, the numeral l designates the body proper of the frog and as shown is shaped to simulate the body of a natural frog. As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, this body structure may be made of any suitable material, but preferably of hollow plates, rubber, wood, or other light material so that the lure will have sufficient buoyancy to cause it to float on the surface of the water.

At the forward end of the body structure I, the smaller front legs 2 of the frog are attached. These may be either a couple of rigid digits or pliable parts, and as a matter of economy may be omitted if desired. The larger and rear legs 3 of the frog are mounted in a horizontally extending transverse slot 4 for movement in a horizontal plane. 'I'o permit such movement they are each secured to the body I by a pivotal pin 5. These pins which in this instance are shown as screwtype pins are disposed to engage legs at a point near the outboard edge thereof near the body end.

Extending axially of the body I and inwardly from the lower side thereof there is provided a centrally disposed slot or groove 6. In this slot 6 there is located a hair-pin type spring I which is made of sturdy well tempered steel or similar material. The free ends of this spring are shaped to fit in eyes or openings 8 provided in the ends of the legs 3 for their reception. These eyes or openings 8 are located in the body ends of the legs 3 adjacent the inboard edges and so spaced that when the legs are in their extreme spreaded position as shown in full line in Figure 3, the ends of the spring 1 will not be under tension and so that as. the spring i is moved forward, itwill cause thelegs e to be rotated about the pins 5 toward the dotted line position shown in Figure 3.

Withthe forward movement of the spring I and the rotation of the legs 3 about the pinsfi, the. eyes 8 move in a manner to increase the spacing between the eyes and likewiseproduce a spreading of the ends of the spring T. This spreading of the spring ends puts the spring; 1 under tension which sets up a counteracting force tendin to return the springjends toward their normally intentioned position'and the legs 3 of the frog due to the engagement therewith of the spring ends toward their out-spreaded position.

For simplicit in construction and fullest utilization of the spring 1, it is twisted upon itself as shown at 9 and provided with a loop H at its closed end. This loop H has a dual function. One function is to conveniently receive a coupling line !2 which is extended outwardly through the mouth end of the frog and to which the fish line is attached. The other is to provide a convenient and simple way to use the fish line to actuate the rear legs and at the same time provide for relieving the leg connection of the spring I of the load on the lure when a fish takes hold of it. To accomplish this latter function a pin or stop 12 is secured vertically in the body so as to pass through the loop 8 i and located so as to limit the forward movement of the springs 1. Hence when the rear end of the loop 5 i engages the stop pin IS, the resisting forces to forward movement of the lure are all assumed by the stop pin l 3.

By reason of the fish line i 4 being connected to the spring 1 through the agency of the coupling line l2, the spring I is urged forwardly whenever the line is moved to pull the lure through the water. This results in the hind legs of the frog being urged toward their collapsed or the dotted line positions shown in Figure 3. Due, however, to waves, etc. on the surface of the water, the frog will tend to move forward and back as it is pulled forward. As this occurs, the spring I will act to urge the legs 3 apart each time there is any release of pressure in the spring.

To further amplify the agitation of the frog a baffle plate I5 is secured to the bottom of the body I. In this embodiment this baffle comprises a downwardly bent, but round end of a plate i6 which is secured to and forms the bottom enclosure of the lure, being held in place by the pins 5 and a pair of screws I1 engaging the forward end of the plate l6.

For limiting the vertical movement of the spring 1 a horizontally disposed pin l8 may be fitted in the body below the desired position of the spring I.

For catching the fish a barbed hook assembly 2| is fitted to the rear of the lure. The assembly as shown comprises a triple hook with a common central stem 22 that is fitted in the slot or groove 8 and provided with an eye 23 on the end of it into which a screw 24 is engaged to attach it to the body I. While this provides a simple and sturdy hook mounting, the hooks may be mounted otherwise than as shown and in various numbers.

With such an assembly as will be appreciated by skilled fishermen an artificial frog is provided which is life-like in appearance, which resembles a live frog swimming when it is pulled through the water, and which due to the novel way in which the rear legs are caused to move, will function not only in a life-like way, but with a minimum of mechanical noises which if present tend to scare the fish.

While the foregoing and the drawing are directed somewhat specifically toward a recommended embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. An artificial fish lure resembling a live frog, comprising a body portion provided with an axially disposed slot, a pair of rear legs pivotally connected to said body portion for movement substantially in a horizontal plane, a hair-pin type spring mounted in said slot in said body portion with the free ends of said spring pivotally engaging said rear legs at points spaced inwardly from the pivot points of the legs, and means for connecting the closed end of said spring to a line for pulling the lure through the water.

2. An artificial lure according to claim 1 in which the hair-pin type spring is formed by being twisted upon itself to provide a closed loop at its closed end.

3. An artificial lure according to claim 1 in which the hair-pin type spring is formed by being twisted upon itself to provide a loop at its closed end, and a pin fitted in said body portion to engage the looped end of said spring and limit its axial movement.

GEORGE C. TERHORST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 803,134 Rhodes Oct. 31, 1905 882,344 Rhodes Mar. 17, 1908 941,911 Burthe Nov. 30, 1909 1,857,312 Kuehn May 10, 1932 

